Anxiety: Stress & Worry

What Is Anxiety? What Causes Anxiety? Dangers Of Anxiety Overcoming The Problem

What is Anxiety? Distress about future, either near or distant, uncertainties… –It is characterized by mental agitation and uneasiness –It may be mild or severe Tears at the soul, keeps us up at night, consumes our thoughts, causes stress. A direct attack from Satan. (1 Pet. 5:6-8) –Paralyzes Christians from being effective –Draws them to sins to distract them from their work

What is Anxiety? 8% Legitimate Concerns 10% Petty Miscellaneous 12% Health 40% Never Happen 30% Past, or Cannot Be Changed

What Causes Anxiety? Anxiety is caused by real or imagined threats to our well being. –We feel vulnerable and inadequately protected against these threats –Threats such as social rejection, physical injury or disease, poverty, death, and a wide range of other threats

What Causes Anxiety? Anxiety has three main elements: –Insecurity: “Something bad is going to happen to me.” –Helplessness: “There is nothing I can do.” –Isolation: “There is no one to help me.” –These causes may operate individually or in various combinations Emotionally, they cause just as much anxiety if they are imagined as if they were real

Dangers of Anxiety (Matt. 6:24-34) Directly opposes God's commands – v. 25, 31, 34; Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7 Demotes human worth - v. 26 Futile - v. 27, 32; Mk. 16:3-4 Causes people to rely on themselves – v. 30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8 Heathenistic - v.32 Deters from Christian duty - Eph. 5:15-16 Impairs health - 1 Cor. 6:20 Creates lack of trust – Jas. 1:5,6; Mk. 11:24 Chokes the Word in Christian's life - Luke 8:14 Robs Christian of joy, peace, and happiness – Phil. 4:4, 1 Thes. 5:17; Prov. 17:22

Overcoming Anxiety Trust In God… –The best remedy is to deal with the problem's causes, not just its symptoms –What is the truth about insecurity, helplessness, and isolation with regard to the Christian? While the Christian may feel insecure, the reality is that he is very secure - Pro. 3:21-26; Heb. 4:16 While the Christian may feel helpless, the reality is that he has great help – Rom. 8:31; Psa. 27:5 While the Christian may feel isolated, the reality is that God is always at his side – Psa. 23:4; Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5,6

Overcoming Anxiety Trust In God… –The remedy for anxiety is complete trust and confidence in God's ability to deal with anything that threatens us – Jn. 14:1; Phil. 4:13; Deut. 31:7,8; Rom. 8:31 The more we learn about God, the more we know His infinite power and His concern for us - 1 Pet. 5:6,7 The avenue of prayer is open to the Christian to request God's help- 1 Jn. 5:14 God has promised peace of mind to those who are willing to commit their anxieties to Him – Jn. 16:33; Phil. 4:6,7; 1 Pet. 4:19

Overcoming Anxiety Trust In God… –This term appears on our coinage, but has lost its meaning –If we fully trust in God, we shall have peace. Acts 27:25; Isa. 26:3

Overcoming Anxiety Read The Bible –Committing ourselves to God's safekeeping requires that we grow in our knowledge of God and love for Him –Thus, the most important thing we can do is study the Scriptures, pray, and meditate on God's promises to His faithful people – Rom. 15:4

Overcoming Anxiety Be Realistic –Peace of mind does not depend on solving all the problems, righting all the wrongs, removing all the imperfections, or getting all we want - Eccl. 8:16-17 –Some things will not change and we need to be realistic enough to accept that There are problems that have no solutions There are situations that must simply be lived through “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook” - William James Pro. 19:11

Overcoming Anxiety Be Realistic –Realistic knowledge of our own limitations ought to cause us to relax and slow down Besides the noble art of getting things done is the noble art of leaving things undone “The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials” -- Gladstone –We must learn to let go of some problems and allow the Lord to be in charge of them – 1 Pet 5:7; Pro. 3:5,6

Overcoming Anxiety Set Our Minds To Overcome Worry –Little girl explaining why she is happy today and not the other day: “Today I pushed my thoughts around, and the other day I let my thoughts push me around” –Abraham Lincoln: “I have been as happy as I have made up my mind to be.” –2 Cor. 10:5 - take every thought captive

Overcoming Anxiety Be Flexible –Change is inevitable; we have got to be resilient, adaptable, adjustable - Phil. 4:11-12 –Under stress, if we can't bend, we will surely break –Our faith must be in Him who changes not –There are some changes we ought to resist without compromise; wisdom can tell us when to change and when to hold our ground

Overcoming Anxiety Focus On The Good Cares, Minimize The Unnecessary Ones –In the Bible, cares can be either good or bad Good - 1 Cor. 12:25; 2 Cor. 11:28; Phil. 2:20 Bad – Matt. 13:22; Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7 –We tend to become distracted by many relatively unimportant cares, and don't care enough about the things we ought to - Matt. 13:22 –When the mind is distracted by many pursuits, it derives but little benefit from any of them –Really only one thing is necessary – Luke 10:41,42; Matt. 6:33,34

Overcoming Anxiety Learn To Live One Day At A Time –Proper use of today diminishes anxiety about tomorrow - Matt. 6:34 Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its worries and sorrows; it only empties today of its strengths Worry is the interest paid on trouble before it falls due –Many, if not most, of our fears will turn out to be unfounded Winston Churchill said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened “In headaches and in worry vaguely life leaks away, and time will have his fancy tomorrow or today” -- W. H. Auden

Overcoming Anxiety Stay Busy –Anxiety and idleness often go hand-in-hand Despair is a form of laziness Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime, and too sleepy to worry at night

Overcoming Anxiety Stay Busy –Much good can be accomplished, even in adverse circumstances, if we will quit concentrating on what cannot be done and do what CAN be done “Don't waste time in doubts and fears; spend yourself in the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson “Our great business in life is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” -- Thomas Carlyle

Overcoming Anxiety Stay Busy –There is no tranquilizer as effective as the knowledge that we have done our best and there is no pillow as soft as a good conscience

Overcoming Anxiety Learn Contentment –A lesson Paul had learned – Phil. 4:11-13 We need to be able to rejoice in the Lord, which we can do if we continually count our blessings – Phil. 4:4,6 The Christian ought to be able to see the silver lining in the darkest cloud

Overcoming Anxiety Learn Contentment –The discontented Christian may lose his soul because of it - 1 Tim. 6:6-8; Heb. 13:5,6 Anxiety often comes from having too much, rather than too little – Eccl. 5:12 Our wealth depends not so much on what we have, as what we can do without –When a problem produces anxiety within us, the very best thing we can do than bathe the problem in two things: reverence and gratitude

Conclusion The Christian is given the means to deal with anxiety... –Peace that comes through prayer - Phil. 4:6-7 –Reassuring confidence from trusting in God – Psa. 23:1-6

Conclusion Whenever the feelings of insecurity, helplessness, and isolation produce anxiety... –Trust in God –Read The Bible –Be Realistic –Set Our Minds To Overcome Worry –Be Flexible –Focus On The Good Cares, Minimize The Unnecessary Ones –Learn To Live One Day At A Time –Stay Busy –Learn Contentment

Conclusion If you haven’t been baptized, you don’t have that first step to overcome anxiety (Trust in God). To obtain that, you must: –Hear the word of the gospel - Rom. 10:17; Acts 18:8 –Believe the gospel - Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:2 –Repent of your sins - Acts 2:38, 47 –Confess Christ - Acts 8:37; Rom. 10:10 –Be baptized - Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21 If you have been but have sinned: –Repent - Acts 8:22 –Confess – Jas. 5:16 –Pray - Acts 8:22; Jas. 5:16